Why Does the Pope Consider the Internet Divine Love While Makarem Sees It as a Source of Corruption?

While the leader of Catholics worldwide on the occasion of World Communications Day refers to the internet as a divine gift, a Shiite source of emulation residing in Qom considers it the source of all corruption and Satanic misfortunes. Where does this degree of difference in perspective originate?

According to a report by the Farsi-speaking Christian news network, citing news agencies, the leader of Catholics worldwide on World Communications Day, while referring to both positive and negative aspects of the internet, stated that its benefits far outweigh its harms.

Pope Francis, the leader of Catholics worldwide, in a statement released by the Vatican on the occasion of World Communications Day, called the internet a “divine gift.” The Pope said that the internet “provides unlimited opportunities for connection, communication, and solidarity” and that this is “truly a good thing.”

The leader of Catholics worldwide, while referring to increasing inequalities across the world, said that media “can create a sense of unity in the human family, and this in turn can be inspiring for solidarity and serious efforts to ensure a dignified life for everyone.”

Pope Francis, while referring to the negative aspects of broader communications, said that the speed of communications “exceeds our capacity for reflection and judgment.” He added that by presenting a broad range of ideas, electronic forms of communication “also enable people to enclose themselves behind sources of information that only support their own ideals and beliefs or their own political and economic interests.”

Of course, the Pope also referred to the negative impact of digital communications: “It can be that it creates distance between us and our neighbors and closest ones.” The leader of Catholics worldwide said that while the internet does have drawbacks; but these drawbacks “do not justify rejecting social media; rather, they remind us that communication is ultimately a human achievement, not a technological one.”

He added that we must “regain a sense of deep reflection and calm,” and the requirement for this is “time and the ability to be silent and listen.” The Pope in a statement released today told his followers “participating in dialogue does not mean rejecting our traditions and values.” Pope Francis said that the internet and social media have provided an opportunity for such dialogues. He said “the digital world can be a space full of humanity – a network made not of wires and cables, but of people.”

“Makarem” and Corruption and Sin

On the other hand, Makarem Shirazi, one of the sources of emulation in Qom, recently stated that “all the corruption in the world flows into people’s homes through satellite, internet, and mobile phones.” He had previously called for disabling video communication services on mobile phones in Iran and said “the harms of this are certainly greater than its benefits.”

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, this source close to conservatives said on Thursday: “God forbid some may use the excuse that a different atmosphere has been established and one can cross red lines.”

Although Pope Francis and Makarem Shirazi are very different in terms of religious rank and number of followers, both are considered traditional religious leaders. But why do these two conservative religious leaders differ so much in their views about digital media and especially the internet?

It can be said that this difference is as great as night and day, mostly due to the difference in the views of Christianity and Islam about man and the nature or philosophy of creation. According to Christian teachings, man is a being created free and possesses the power to choose between good and evil. The responsibility for this choice rests with himself. But according to Islamic teachings, the philosophy of human existence is obedience and adherence to Sharia, and any deviation from it causes punishment and penalty.

For this reason, Christianity sees the problem of sinning not in tools and products but in the nature of man itself. But Islam believes that it is these tools and products that cause sin, and they should be kept away from man’s reach so that he does not commit sin.